Pacific Rim: The Black season 2

 Time to return to the universe of big mecha and raging kaiju with the second season of The Black, set in the Pacific Rim universe.

As those who know me, I LOVED the original film (the second, not so much).

The series starts with Hayley trying to calm Boy, the little kaiju from season 1, who evolved in a big monster.  She manages to revert him back to humanoid form, but as he is injured they must find a mysterious person called "kaiju man" to help him.  To reach him, Taylor and Mei must pilot the Atlas Jaeger through a valley full of monsters though...

 

Entering this region, called The Never Never, they meet the excentric old man, who actually seems to have bonded with the kaiju in the valley.  But he is betrayed by the one he had handtrained and eaten before the antidote could be given.  They escape the valley, and set out to find another way to help Boy, but encounter a strange culled called The Sisters who kidnap young kaiju.

Entering this area called the Divide, they encounter a Jaeger graveyard.  They realise the Sisters want Boy, Taylor betraying Hayley to hand over Boy in order to bargain safe passage.  But never the less, the Sisters attack, Atlas being hardpressed against the hybrid kaiju they send.  But they receive help from an unexpected corner in Shane, allowing them to get away, albeit without Boy.  Shane catches up with them, revealing the Sisters being Taylor and Hayley's mom, influenced by ichor.

As Shane enters her mind to find out what happened and wether they can still bring her back, the Sisters begin a ritual to make Boy their Messiah.  He learns that Taylor has the key to his mom's heart, Shane sacrificing himself for their mother Brina.  As a final gift, he returns a datakey with Mei's memories stored on it.  As they work out a plan to free Boy, Apex, the kaiju / jaeger hybrid is hunting the planes.  They manage to break Boy free, Brina trying to buy them time to escape.  

Atlas Destroyer arrives at Sydney base at last, where they are reunited with their father.  But this is a drift illusion, as in reality her injuries where to grave and the children used the drift to allow her to pass away peacefully.  Boy awakans as the Messiah, transforming and attacking the Atlas, as the Apex intervenes.  Controlled by the Sisters, Boy sets upon Apex, both engaging in a heavy fight, Atlas coming in between to save Apex.  Using it's scanning beam, Apex calms Boy down and brings him back to it's senses, but Apex powers down as a result.  

They make a run for it, leaving an enraged High Priestess behind.  Chased by a Category VI kaiju, they must fight all the way to Sydney base.  But Sydney base has picked up their signal and dispatches troops to meet them.  Atlas Destroyer faced the huge kaiju while outmatched, as Mei is met by the High Priestess.  Atlas is beaten up badly, fighting with all desperation as the Priestess manages to escape Mei and run off with Boy, who reverted back to human form.  But he kills the Priestess when he sees his new family being hurt, as Loa, the AI of the Atlas, ejects Hayley and Taylor before making the ultimate sacrifice against the big kaiju.  Extraction forces from Sydney arrive, taking the survivors to the base, and reuniting with their father.

This was a pretty good animation series, with some epic battles in it as a bonus while showing the strengths of (new found) family.  Surely recommended if you like mecha vs monsters shows in general, or Pacific Rim in particular.